Curved Sliding Doors: 16 Old Bailey

Design Brief / Overview

16 Old Bailey, is a historic Grade II listed building which has been refurbished and extended, designed by Orms Architects.

This Edwardian Baroque style building was built for the Chatham and Dover Railway Company and required some ingenious design and engineering to modernise it, whilst remaining sensitive to its history and style.

One of the main challenges for the Architect was to get an entrance to this building, which had originally had vehicular traffic running through it with offices above.

Being in a historic part of London it needed to create a statement and yet be compliant to all modern standards.  The facade of the building had to be retained so the space available for the entrance door was limited. 

There was no opportunity to install a wide entrance with pass doors, traditional revolving doors or draught lobbies - which we see in so many buildings.

Solution:

We had to come up with an elegant solution that would also comply with DDA regulations, keep the building safe and warm, and almost invisibly interface with a retained, historic façade.

The challenges continued with the fact that there was very limited space below finished floor level so all the drive gear, heaters and lighting had to be overhead and yet still remain attractive as part of the first impressions of this building.

As well as thermal resilience and good lighting the entrance also provides a high level of security with automation and locking available via the security station, along with laminated safety glass giving the building a substantial physical barrier.

Praised by Knight Harwood, the main contractors, our solution is elegant and blends perfectly with the style of the building inside and out. The automation, heating and lighting makes for an almost invisible entrance helping the transformation of this historical building into a modern, stylish and prestigious commercial property.